The Mockingbirds - Daisy Whitney

Summary:From the inside cover:Some schools have honor codes.Others have handbooks.Themis Academy has the Mockingbirds.

Themis Academy is a quiet boarding school with an exceptional student body that the administration trusts to always behave the honorable way--the Themis Way. So when Alex Patrick is date-raped during her junior year, she has two options: stay silent and hope someone helps, or enlist the aid of the Mockingbirds--a secret society of students dedicated to righting the wrongs of the student body.

In this account of a teenage girl's search to find her voice and the courage to use it, debut author Daisy Whitney reminds readers that standing up for someone, especially yourself, is worth the fight.

Review:When Alex wakes up in the bedroom of a boy she barely knows and doesn't remember the previous night, she knows something's not right. Only after putting the pieces together and remembering fragments does Alex realize she'd been raped the night before. Not wanting to go to the police but wanting to do something, Alex seeks the aid of the Mockingbirds, a group formed by Alex's older sister Casey to right the wrongs committed by Themis students.

This book is a page-turner to say the least, I read more than half of it in one sitting because it was just that engrossing. Alex big into classical music, and the author uses Alex's love for music as an indicator of how her mental state is affected by the rape, since she feels her music is ruined now and she cannot enjoy it as much as before. Wanting to reclaim the hold music used to have on her is one of the reasons why Alex decides to take action against Carter, the boy who raped her. I love how the Mockingbirds were set up, they use a ton of checks and balances in their almost trial-like system of punishment to make sure everything is done without bias and in a way that's fair to everyone. Plus the whole concept of the Mockingbirds is based on the themes of To Kill A Mockingbird, which rocks my socks. The themes of taking a stand and speaking up for what is right and not being a bystander are important and well illustrated here.

Recommendation:The writing isn't anything to write home about, but the plot and themes are outstanding and the plight of the characters will have you glued to the pages.

Thoughts on the cover:Nice little illustration based off the Mockingbird pictured in the group's flyers (or so I assume).

About Me

When I started teaching, I made it a priority to not only have a relevant classroom library full of books my students actually would want to read, but also that I wouldn't recommend a book to my students that I had not read myself.
Years later, I am swimming in a personal collection of hundreds of books for both children and teens; every single one I have read and (usually) end up recommending to my students.